Choreographed by Artistic Directors Thordal Christensen and Colleen Neary after the traditional revival credited to Petipa and Ivanov, LAB’s Swan Lake will feature Principal dancers Allynne Noelle and Allyssa Bross in the dual role of Odette/Odile at alternate performances. LAB Principal dancers Christopher Revels and Kenta Shimizu will dance the role of Prince Siegfried, also at alternate performances. Guest dancer Akimitsu Yahata, principal dancer with the New National Ballet of Japan, will dance the role of the Jester at select performances. Additionally, the ballet will feature the full company, as well as students from Los Angeles Ballet School.

“We are bringing this masterpiece a poetic quality that will tell this love story with tenderness and passion, through the music and our choreography,” says Neary, adding, “[Thordal and I] have a deep relationship with this ballet, from our experience of dancing the leading roles together, which was an important part in our performing careers.”

The story of Odette, a princess transformed into a swan by an evil sorcerer’s curse, Swan Lake was not well received when it originally premiered. It was not until the Petipa/Ivanov revival which has served as the basis for most subsequent interpretations that it became so popular, most recently serving as the basis for the film Black Swan.

LAB is currently in its sixth season. This May, LAB will be back with its much-anticipated and innovative NextWaveLA, featuring four World Premieres by distinguished California based choreographers Kitty McNamee, Sonya Tayeh, Stacey Tookey and Josie Walsh. LAB continues to build a repertoire that underscores the creative leadership of its artistic directors, presenting timeless classics as well as innovative choreography from today’s contemporary artists.

Performances of Swan Lake will take place at venues across Los Angeles County from March 3 to March 31. Tickets range in price from $24 – $95.

Thordal Christensen is the Founding co-Artistic Director for Los Angeles Ballet. The world of dance claims Mr. Christensen as one of its most respected citizens. Mr. Christensen danced with the Royal Danish Ballet, New York City Ballet and Pacific Northwest Ballet in major roles in the classical and modern repertoire. He was appointed artistic director of the Royal Danish Ballet and the Royal Danish Ballet School in 1999. During his leadership he advanced the company repertoire and school to new levels. In 2002, Mr. Christensen was appointed Knight of Dannebrog by Her Majesty Margrethe II.

Colleen Neary is the Founding co-Artistic Director for Los Angeles Ballet. Ms. Neary danced as a soloist from 1969 to 1979 with New York City Ballet under the direction of George Balanchine. She had numerous roles created for her by George Balanchine, Peter Martins, Jacques d’Amboise and others.

She was invited in 1979 to be Ballet Mistress and Choreographic Assistant for the Zurich Ballet. During this period she also staged Rudolf Nureyev’s Don Quixote and Manfred for La Scala de Milan, Zurich Ballet and Vienna State Opera. In 1984 she was invited to be Principal Guest Artist and company teacher for Maurice Béjart’s Ballet du XXième Siecle where he created several roles for her. In 1986 she was invited to join Pacific Northwest Ballet as Principal Dancer. In 1992 she joined The Royal Danish Ballet as Ballet Mistress and company teacher. By 1999 she became First Ballet Mistress in charge of productions, a position she held until 2002.

Ms. Neary is a member of the George Balanchine Trust and has staged many of his ballets, including Agon, The Four Temperaments, Theme and Variations, Rubies, Serenade, Tarantella, Stravinsky Violin Concerto, Divertimento no.15, Piano Concerto no. 2, Concerto Barocco, Tchaikovsky Pas de Deux, and Symphony in C, for leading companies around the world.

Since co-founding Los Angeles Ballet in 2006, Ms. Neary and Mr. Christensen have worked continuously to advance the company to one of the nation’s most prestigious ballet companies by staging and choreographing increasingly difficult works, from the Balanchine repertoire, and classics such as La Sylphide, The Nutcracker, Giselle, and now Swan Lake.

About Los Angeles Ballet

Launched in 2006 by Co-Artistic Directors Thordal Christensen and Colleen Neary and Executive Director Julie Whittaker, Los Angeles Ballet enjoyed a successful first season, focused on capturing the creative aesthetic unique to Southern California. Los Angeles Ballet is committed to bringing world-class dance to audiences throughout the region by performing at venues in many different communities. Through 6 seasons touring LA County, presenting both classical and contemporary works, LAB has made great dance accessible to the Southern California community and provided Los Angeles with a company to call its own.

The Company, a not-for-profit arts organization, makes its professional home at Los Angeles Ballet Center in Los Angeles, which also houses Los Angeles Ballet School.